water spanieln.
/ˈwɔːtə ˌspanjəl/, U.S. /ˈwɔdər ˌspænjəl/, /ˈwɑdər ˌspænjəl/ Any of several varieties or breeds of spaniel, used esp. for retrieving waterfowl; a dog of such a variety or breed.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > other types of dog > [noun] > spaniel > land or water
findera1425
water spaniel1558
land-spaniel1576
1558–9 in S. Adams Househ. Accts. R. Dudley (1995) 59 Item to my Lord of Darby's servant that brought the waterspaniell.
1576 A. Fleming tr. J. Caius Of Eng. Dogges 16 Of the Dogge called the water Spaniell, or finder, in Latine Aquaticus seu Inquisitor.
1588 T. Kyd tr. T. Tasso Housholders Philos. f. 17v Good seruants..obey them..not as a water-spaniel, but as the hand is sturred to obey the mind.
1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 42 Which droue Leander..to play the didopper and ducking water spaniel to swim to her.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iii. i. 269 Shee hath more qualities then a Water-Spaniell, which is much in a bare Christian. View more context for this quotation
1676 J. Dryden in G. Etherege Man of Mode Epil. 96 Anothers diving Bow he did adore, Which with a shog casts all the hair before: Till he with full Decorum brings it back, And rises with a Water Spaniel shake.
1688 London Gaz. No. 2381/4 Lost.., a large Water-Spaniel Dog.
1736 Compl. Family-piece ii. i. 236 But Water Spaniels may be brought to be Setters, if they have a perfectly good Scent.
1769 G. White Let. 2 Jan. in Nat. Hist. Selborne (1789) 62 If half a dozen gentlemen, furnished with a good strength of water-spaniels, were to beat them [sc. the fens] over for a week, they would certainly find more species.
1821 W. Scott Pirate III. iii. 61 His puir bairn swam out like a water-spaniel.
1893 R. B. Lee Hist. & Descr. Mod. Dogs: Sporting Div. xvii. 343 One cannot say that the Irish red setter..and the water spaniel of Ireland, came at any recent date from one stock.
1933 V. Woolf Flush i. 9 There came into existence at least seven famous Spaniel families—the Clumber.., the Cocker, the Irish Water and the English Water.
1981 C. I. A. Ritchie Brit. Dog vi. 164 In spite of the popularity of land spaniels.., the water spaniel was perhaps the favourite.
2007 Independent 8 Mar. (Extra section) 2/3 A yellow-haired dog called Nous bred with a Tweed water spaniel called Belle.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1558